International Medals for SA's Brandy

In a feat which the Springboks can hope to emulate later this year at the Rugby World Cup, South African potstill brandies have brought home the gold from the United Kingdom.

South African potstill brandies continue to have the Midas touch when it comes to scooping top international awards and this year's International Spirit Competition (ISC) proved to be no exception with a total haul of 18 medals going to South African brandies. The Oude Meester's 18 year old Souverein achieved a Gold medal, while pride of place went to the Van Ryn's 12 year old Director's Reserve, which won a Gold Best in Class award.

Now in its 20th year, the ISC is the premier event in promoting outstanding quality spirits from across the globe and setting the standard for excellence. An expert cast is assembled in London for the judging panel, comprising of some of the most respected journalists, spirits buyers for large purveyors and experts from top international hotels and restaurants. The competition is supported by most of the world's leading spirits producers and receives more than 1 000 entries from 70 countries annually.

According to Nick Holdcroft, Distell's Brandy Ambassador, there are a number of factors that explain South Africa's dominance at the top end of brandy quality. Our country blessed with the and terroir to produce excellent base wine and the production of brandy stretches back nearly 300 years into South Africa's history. We take our brandy very seriously here and have strict regulations that govern production to ensure that we can guarantee the best quality.

Holdcroft said South Africans should be proud of how the country's brandies are consistently rated among the world's best at esteemed international competitions. Take the three brandies from Van Ryn's as an example; between themselves they have won the UK-based International Wine & Spirit Competition's Worldwide Best Brandy title five times, and the International Spirits Challenge Best Brandy Trophy, four times since 2004, helping to establish South Africa's reputation for exceptional quality on the global stage. Now it is just up to the Springboks to continue with this winning streak and bring back the trophy from London in September, he added.